This invention relates to apparatus for dispensing plastics stretch film and in particular for manually wrapping plastics stretch film around a package, for example a loaded pallet.
There exist many apparatus for wrapping a plastic film around a package. One such apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,081. The apparatus of the patent is for manually dispensing plastics stretch film in which the film is contained on a core having extended ends. A pair of flexible hand grips are rotatably mounted on the ends of the core whereby control of the tension on the film during dispensing can be achieved by manually squeezing the hand grips to effect a braking action on the core. While this apparatus provides a satisfactory manual dispenser for stretch film, it suffers from the disadvantage that it is difficult, in view of the projecting ends of the core, to wrap film around a package near the ground-engaging surface of the package. An object of the present invention is therefore to obviate or minimize this problem.